We are not the ANC of Mandela

The ANC is under threat from what it calls colour revolution, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Friday evening.

Mantashe was briefing the media on a diagnostic organisational report he presented to party delegates at its first day of the policy conference.

Mantashe characterised colour revolution as a mode that escalates protest action of service delivery to challenge state power.

Mantashe said the colour revolution also provokes security forces and targets the state.

“We say the essence of colour revolution is to create discontent… and then the process graduates to revolt and then remove regimes from power… Elements of that are visible.”SA not ‘the darling of everybody in the world’

He made examples of the Marikana protests, which he said was never viewed as mine workers undermining authority and provoking security forces into action.

“I hope analysts will do that research and give us some detail rather than conveniently looking at the incident.” He also made examples of the FeesMustFall student movement where university buildings were torched.

“All those are signs of colour revolution creeping into protests.”

He said Zuma Must Fall was also part of colour revolutions. He said South Africans must analyse the character of these protests.

“Some sections of the ANC that are impatient and wanting to see the back of the president immediately feel justified in joining the Zuma Must Fall marches or voting with the opposition on the motion of no confidence in the president of the country,” the report read.

Mantashe said such colour revolutions were manifested during the Arab Spring in North Africa.

“The mistake we are committing as South Africans is this thing of thinking we are the ANC of (Nelson) Mandela… Therefore we are darling of everybody in the world. Its a big mistake. There is no such a country which is a darling of everybody.”

The ANC has set aside two days of the policy conference for a consultative conference to review the health of the organisation.

On Saturday, the Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies will host a Progressive Business Forum breakfast.

Deputy secretary general Jesse Duarte will brief the media on the commissions which will review policy documents from each province and provide further policy while Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe is set to brief the media on the implementation of the National Development Plan.